What is eating my sweet potato leaves off the stem?

Why can't it be deer or rabbits? They are the most common. So are mice and rats and groundhogs and squirrels and chipmunks.

But without a picture of the type of damage done it is all just guesswork. Slugs and such, Japanese Beetles and other pests usually don't eat the whole leaf.

Dave

Thanks Dave. How can deer or rabbits get in the small mesh fence? The whole area is covered with this fence including over the top. It's very sturdy and looks undisturbed. I can see perhaps mice are small enough to get in but other pests don't eat the whole leaf off they just damage the leaves with holes and such. I never knew that mice would eat plant leaves.

Karen

Sorry for the duplicate post.

If the whole area is covered even over the top then other than mice it has to be something already inside or comes up from the ground, right? Voles or slugs?

Examine the fence carefully tho and make sure something hasn't found a way in. I have had rabbits chew through the nylon fencing and ground squirrels can sometimes squeeze under it if it isn't tacked down tot he ground.

Some of them are very smart if they want in badly enough.

Dave

PS: you might also look for leaf cutter ants but the odds are slim

Thanks Dave, I'm just sick because they were so beautiful until this started. When do Voles come out? Night? How do you catch or manage them? For slugs we could put some beer in a lid in the dirt and see what happens.

Thanks for your advice and suggestions

Karen

if you can manage to protect the leaves, they (and their stems, and young vine tips) are edible and nutritious. grasshoppers can eat a big chunk out of them, but not the whole leaf. i'm betting it's a groundhog- they can can climb fences ! is your fence stretched tight? a loose wobbly fence might deter them. for mammals, i like to mark the perimeter with human urine ( but no splashing the plants ! ) which i apply frequently, especially after rain. urine has also been shown to be as good as commercial fertilizer for tomatoes. but i wander.....good luck !

I've had good luck in deterring night raiders by placing the sweaty, stinky work clothes I've worn during the day around in the garden. I gather them in the morning, shake them out vigorously, and put them in the laundry hamper.

A couple of years ago my SP leaves were vanishing too and I caught a groundhog in the act. After surrounding the SPs with wire fencing the GH still dug his way in and stayed as he also dug a burrow well hidden under the leaves. GHs are lazy and don't travel far for food so he just made himself at home. The only reason why I found him was that the leaves were continuing to disappear even though I had a secure perimeter so I got in there and hunted him down. He thought he was in GH heaven, I made sure that was his destination.